P3 paints 'review'

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ToMaZ
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P3 paints 'review'

Post by ToMaZ »

So I finally have a starterspack of the Formula P3 paints. More specifically the Iron Kingdoms set which is a more neutral set.

So I opened the package, and found six pots, 17ml if I'm not mistaken (not mentioned but I read it somewhere) and the have fliptops in the old citadel style. Price is ? 17.99 So that comes down to ? 3/pot

There are six colors in the set:

Pig Iron: A dark metallic color. Heavy pigmented, and leaning a tiny bit to the blue side. It would be an excellent start color for sivler metallics. The coverage over white and black is very good. Thinned it takes 2 mostly 2 passes to cover well. The metallic flakes do seem to drop to the bottom of the bottle after a period but with some shaking or stirring with a match or something, this can be solved. MAybe adding an agitator might work too.

It's a paint that I'm gonna use a lot. Move over Boltgun Metal ;)

Rhulic Gold: a yellowish gold paint with again heavily pigmented and very good coverage over black and white. 2 - 3 thinned passes will cover fully. It has the same problem as the Pig Iron though with the flakes dropping to the bottom.

I'm not sure about if I'm going to pass up my VMC brassy brass for gold metallics since brassy seems a bit warmer, but it looks as a good starting point for gold metallics and you can add warmth to the color with a brown or red colored ink or paint.

Thamar black This black is as dark as it gets. The heavy pigments and thicker paint mean you should take care when trying to shade by adding black. Good paint!

morrow white This is the lightest paint in the P3 line. Pure white. Heavy pigmented (yes again) and a pretty good color for those final contrasting highlights. Also, it's coverage over black is AMAZING while keeping a smooth finish.

Midlund flesh This one is my favourite. A skincolor that doesn't look pink or too pale. It's tone comes close to elf flesh but it's not as pale. It's a color where you don't need to add another color to if you want to paint a regular skintone. Excellent paint with again good coverage and a lot of pigments.

Bootstrap leather a warm brown, that would be a good base for any medium brown builds. It could be used too to shade skintones as it's has a bit a tanned look. Coverage is again very good over both black and white.



So my first impressions are: heavy pigmented paints. A bit gloopy but it reacts really good to thinning with water and the overall coverage is excellent. Mixing with the paints from most compagnies is not a problem, but there are some VGC colors that shift from the P3 colors when mixed.

You do need to experiment with the thinning a bit but how thin you like your paints is a personal preference so I can't really give any tips on that ;)

Also the paints dry slower than Vallejo's or GW's. And don't seem to rub off easily when touched.

Overall I'm impressed with the paints. I will need to do up some more experience with them, like mixing them together, etc... but at first glance the paints seem excellent.

I will update this topic as soon as I get another set :)
---ToMaZ---

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Demi_morgana
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RE: P3 paints

Post by Demi_morgana »

I'm glad to know PP paints are good investment although I don't think I'll cope with my current set (over 100 pots? :think: ) soon, so I can change the company :)
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Skrit
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RE: P3 paints

Post by Skrit »

Excellent review, thanks for it!
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RE: P3 paints

Post by mahon »

Good job ToMaZ, I am curious how they compare to Reaper MPS...
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P3 Review

Post by Angel_of_Menoth »

I now own all 6 initial sets of the P3 paints. I've used the RMS with them as well, so I can give a bit of comparison.

Mike McVey put a lot of work into these paints, it would seem. They really are a treat to work with. Everyone likes their paint consistency a bit different, so I won't say how much flow aid/water/whatever is good to mix with the paints. (I personally use just dip my brush into a bit of water before I load it with paint.) I'll break them down into a few basic points.

1. The pigment is liquid. You can thin these paints with water as much as you'd like, and it will keep a consistent pigment. You don't get the separation that you get with GW and others. You also don't get the separation of pigment from the binder when your paint has been sitting for a while. Vallejo is well known for having this problem. Other than having my metallics settle to the bottom, I give my paints a quick shake or two just to get the paint to coat the lid so I've got something to dip my brush in when I open it.

2. The paints have a wonderful opacity. The whites and reds need only 2 or 3 thin layers to give very solid coverage. I no longer need to use a layer or two of brown as my basecoat over black primer when I am painting white. :D

3. The extended drying time helps with blending. I still built up the red for my Menoth army using 5 or 6 layers of highlighting (and 5 for my white), but the transitions are a lot smoother.

4. The metallics have the finest ground flakes I've seen yet. Pig Iron has replaced Boltgun as my "go to" silver metallic color.

5. As ToMaZ said, the paints have a light "satin" finish to them when dry. They stand up to a good bit of abuse, and with a matte sealer on them they are even more durable.

6. The paints mix incredibly well. This isn't just P3 to P3, either. I've had no problems with these paints mixing with VGC, RMS, VMC, or GW.

7. The flip-top lids are very nicely designed. It's pretty easy to keep the rim of the pot clean for a good seal. (Mike claims 10+ years with some of the early batches that he is STILL using.) You can dip right from the little reservoir in the lid. The Privateer Press crew debated the dropper bottle vs. flip-tops for a long time before they finalized the design.

8. Many of the paints have a base and a highlight with the same basic name (e.g. Sanguine Base and Sanguine Highlight). These colors work nicely together, but they are certainly not exclusive to each other. each is a separate and distinct color. They've just been paired together to help newer (and not so new) painters get colors that work well together without having to remember which exact blue someone recommended as a base color for Enchanted Blue, or whatever other color.

The rest of the line (32 more paints/inks, including more metallics) is due out in February. The initial paint sets will be available as individual colors then, as well.

I picked up some of these paints at GenCon this summer and I am loving them. They cover very smoothly, and that lets me work a bit faster (even with the slightly longer drying time). I was starting to get frustrated :evil: with my painting, but now I'm happy again :D.

As for a direct comparison with the RMS paints, maybe I can get LadyEyes to give you guys a better review. She's been using RMS a lot lately, but she still finds the time to steal my P3 Heartfire on a regular basis (we both love that color!).

If you've got any specific questions, ask. I'll answer them as well as I can. Or pop onto the Privateer Press forums and send a PM to PPS_McVey. Mike is really down to earth and will give you all kinds of technical information about the actual chemistry involved in the paints. He has been working on getting these paints the way he wanted them since GW changed to the screw-tops. I think they're worth the effort.

I'm not throwing away my other paints, but I will definitely try to get the rest of P3 line when it comes out in February. My favorite paints so far (followed closely by RMS).

* the Khador reds were designed to be washed with a red ink glaze. They are a bit orange without the glaze. If you give them a nice red wash, they get that deep red we all know and love. This was planned for.

Midlund Flesh looks pretty pink by itself. With a base of Khardic Flesh, this is not the case. The two work very well together. Adding a tough of Morrow white or Menoth White Highlight to the Midlund works well for the top highlights.
Demi_morgana
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RE: P3 Review

Post by Demi_morgana »

after such recommendation I'm quite sure I'll add some P3 pots to the cart while making larger shopping abroad next time :D
I'd really like to test a color or two... 8)
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RE: P3 Review

Post by Angel_of_Menoth »

I'd gladly share mine, but Poland is just a little bit of a stretch. ;)
Demi_morgana
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RE: P3 Review

Post by Demi_morgana »

actually I've been looking serious idea to start browsing thru usa hobby on-line srotes again... :razz:
now I got another reason to start collecting money... :D
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ToMaZ
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RE: P3 Review

Post by ToMaZ »

hmmmz... did someone delete my reply?? :?

Anyway, thanx for sharing man! It's great to hear about the paints from someone who has more experience with them :) It will take a long time for me to get the different sets and testing them all out and any tips you still have are more than welcome :)

Thanx again for sharing ;)
---ToMaZ---

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Skrit
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RE: P3 Review

Post by Skrit »

Not that I really need more paints but I'll get these for sure after those raving reviews!:D
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